The Junking Trashformation Journey

snowman ice cream

Don’t toss old cupboard doors from a kitchen redo. They may have been ugly hanging in your kitchen, but with a little paint and a hanger, they can become the canvas for a primitive wall hanging. The recipe on this snowman ice cream sign is real, but even if I never use it, I love the sign for the novelty of it.

Step 1
Clean the door. It’s been hanging in someone’s kitchen for years so it probably has a layer of grease and grime. Don’t be afraid to get out the steel wool. Since this is a primitive wall hanging, a few scratches, dents and dings are not going to be a problem.

Step 2
Determine what area of the cupboard door’s front will be painted with the background. My door had a frame built around it, so I used the area inside the frame for the background. If your door doesn’t have a frame, you may choose to mask off the edges to create your own frame, or eliminate the framed look by painting the background to the edges of the door. Once you have decided on the placement of your background, paint it using navy blue acrylic paint. I lucked out with a quart of wall paint I found at a yard sale for 25 cents. Allow the paint to dry and repeat until you have achieved full coverage.

Step 3
Paint the snowman. Remember, this is a primitive design, so perfect lines and shapes are not necessary. I positioned the snowman in the bottom left corner. The top of his head almost reaches the center height of the sign, and the widest part of his body extends to almost the center width of the sign. Lightly trace the outline of the snowman with a pencil. Dip a stencil brush into white acrylic paint, pounce the outline and fill in the body of the snowman. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 4
Apply cheeks to the snowman using blush and a cotton swab. Dip the blunt end of a skewer into black acrylic paint. Dot two eyes and a line of dots in a smile shape for the mouth. Using orange dimensional paint, apply a carrot-shaped nose to the center of the face.

Step 6
Measure and cut a piece of wrapping paper the same size as your sign’s background. Lay the paper on your work surface with the back side facing up. You are making a guide for the placement of the snowman ice cream recipe. Mark off the area on the paper where the snowman would be. Using a pencil, copy the following recipe. Note: For each new line I made on mine I made a new line on the recipe below. Since your door is probably not the same size as mine, you will want to adjust the placement to fit your door.

Step 7
Using your guide for placement, write the recipe on your door using a white paint pen. Dip the blunt end of a wooden skewer in white acrylic paint and dot the ends and intersections of each letter. Allow the paint to dry.

Step 8
Measure down 1 inch from the top edge of your sign and find the center of the sign’s width. Measure 4 inches from each side of the center and mark with a pencil. Using a drill and a small bit, drill through the door at your marks. Cut an 18-inch length of baling wire using wire cutters. Thread the ends of the wire through the holes from the back to the front. Bend the ends up and twist around the wire that is creating the curved hanger.

Step 9
Rip a couple strips of homespun fabric. Tie the fabric strips and a strand of raffia around the wire.

I like navy blue paint for a snowman background, but a different color could always be used.